---
title: "How to cancel a payment"
description: "You can cancel a scheduled payment before its date, and a held payment while the vendor still hasn't accepted your invitation or added a bank. Once a payment is processing it can't be cancelled."
url: https://cleo-pay.com/help/cancel-a-payment
category: "Paying vendors"
audience: [business]
updated: 2026-10-22
support: support@cleo-pay.com
---

# How to cancel a payment

> You can cancel a scheduled payment before its date, and a held payment while the vendor still hasn't accepted your invitation or added a bank. Once a payment is processing it can't be cancelled.

You can cancel a payment that hasn't started moving yet: a scheduled payment before its date, or a held payment while the vendor still hasn't accepted your invitation or added a bank. Once a payment is processing, it's on its way to the vendor and can't be cancelled.

## What you can cancel

| Bill status | Can you cancel? | Where the money goes |
|---|---|---|
| Payment Scheduled | Yes, before it goes out | Nothing was taken, so nothing moves |
| Payment Held | Yes, while the vendor still isn't set up | Into your Cleo Pay balance, or the bank debit is stopped |
| Processing Payment | No | It's on its way to the vendor |
| Paid | No | |

## Cancel a scheduled payment

1. Click **Pay** in the sidebar and open the bill.
2. Click **Cancel Scheduled Payment**.
3. Add a reason if you like. It's optional.
4. Click **Yes, cancel payment**.

You'll see "Scheduled payment cancelled". Nothing is taken from your bank, and the bill goes back to Awaiting Payment so you can pay it again later.

If the payment has already started on its scheduled day, you'll see "This payment is being processed right now and cannot be changed. Try again in a few minutes." By then it's on its way and can't be stopped.

## Cancel a held payment

A held payment is waiting for the vendor to accept your invitation or add a bank account. The bill shows "Payment Held".

1. Open the bill.
2. Click **Cancel Held Payments**.
3. Add a reason if you like.
4. Click **Yes, cancel payments**.

Held payments are taken from your linked bank when you pay, so cancelling doesn't send money back to that bank. Cleo Pay tells you where it went:

| Message | What it means |
|---|---|
| "Payment cancelled. The money is in your Cleo Pay balance." | The money had already left your bank. It's in your balance, and you can withdraw it or use it for another payment. |
| "Payment cancelled. The bank debit was stopped before it settled, so no money left your bank account." | Nothing was taken. |
| "Payment cancelled. We could not confirm the bank debit was stopped: if it settles, the money will be in your Cleo Pay balance." | Check your balance over the next few days. |
| "Payment cancelled, but the refund could not be started. Contact Cleo support to get the money back." | Email us and we'll sort it out. |

If the vendor finished their setup while you were cancelling, you'll see "This payment was released to the payee while you were cancelling it and can no longer be cancelled." The payment is on its way to them.

To move money from your balance back to your bank, see [What is the Cleo Pay balance?](https://cleo-pay.com/help/cleo-pay-balance-explained)

## A payment that's already processing

While the bill shows "Processing Payment", the money is moving and can't be called back. You also can't cancel the bill itself. You'll see "A payment on this bill is still in progress, so it can't be closed yet. Try again once that payment settles."

If you paid the wrong vendor or the wrong amount, email support@cleo-pay.com right away with the vendor name, the amount and the date you paid.